Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will be under the microscope when it comes to President-elect Trump’s most contentious Cabinet nominees, with senators watching closely to see if he will oppose confirming former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) as attorney general or former Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard for director of national intelligence.
McConnell, who clashed with Trump and is leaving his leadership position in the new Congress, will turn 83 in February and is up for reelection in 2026. Crossing Trump could make his road to another term more difficult, but it’s also far from clear that he would seek another six years in the Senate.
The longest-serving Senate GOP leader in history, McConnell has always been seen as a team player, but many think he could forge his own path on certain nominees. And if he isn’t running for reelection, he has little to lose in voting his conscious.
“He’ll feel a bit liberated, I think. But he’s a very measured man. He’s very controlled. Very focused. What matters in this Congress mattered to him before,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). “I think his influence is real and his voice will matter.”
“When he speaks, people will listen,” Graham added.
Trump over the past week has rolled out a number of Cabinet nominations that have caught some Senate Republicans off-kilter. Along with Gaetz and Gabbard, Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a skeptic of vaccines, to lead the Department of Health and Human Services and Fox News host Pete Hegseth to help the Pentagon.
Gaetz angered a number of Republicans, including McConnell, by lead the effort to unseat former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.). He has also been under various legal and ethical clouds related to allegations of sexual misconduct.
Gabbard has raised eyebrows with past remarks that seemed to echo the talking points of Russian state media on the Ukraine war.
McConnell is not the only GOP senator whose support or opposition could be key. People will also be watching closely to see how Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) vote on various nominees.
But because of McConnell’s history leading his conference through myriad legislative battles and political storms, how he handles the most contentious of Trump’s picks will be watched closely. And could lead others to follow.
“He’s not just another senator now. He has earned his influence for sure. … I don’t know that he wants to play that role, but if he does, he could do it better than anyone,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said when asked about the possibility of McConnell giving cover to more center-right members who may not be enthralled with some of Trump’s selections.
“He knows our process and he knows the politics of it very, very well,” Cramer continued. “Just by virtue of his influence — which is earned by experience, not by title — he will always have a bit of a sage role. That’s for sure.”
Both Graham and Cramer likened his potential role in the 119th Congress to that of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who McConnell praised her recently for how she has transitioned out of leadership. She departed as Democratic leader two years ago.
“I think Pelosi has done a pretty good job as a former Speaker, still being able to express herself and have an audience,” McConnell said in late October. “I’m hopeful people will still care what I think.”
The Kentucky Republican has stayed largely mum on the emerging list of Cabinet and other nominations, saying only that the upper chamber must do its due-diligence.
“Each of these nominees needs to come before the Senate and go through the process and be vetted,” McConnell said on Wednesday while being honored at the American Enterprise Institute’s annual gala.
While he’s kept quiet on that front, McConnell has indicated that he plans to spend his final two years working on and speaking up about foreign policy and defense. He said the day after the election that he considers now the “most dangerous time since right before World War II.”
That will dovetail right into the consideration of Gabbard to lead the nation’s intelligence community as the two hold diametric views on many issues on the world stage, including on Ukraine.
McConnell is perhaps the party’s foremost leading voice in support of Kyiv — a stark contrast to Gabbard, who has echoed Russian talking points since the outset of the war that is set to hit the three-year mark in February.
However, McConnell has long been considered by members to be mindful of the conference at large, including the presence of Thune — one of his proteges who served the past six years as his deputy in leadership.
Any decision he makes will likely be with him in mind as he likely will not want to make life more complicated for the new head of the Senate GOP, especially considering the influence he continues to carry.
“Mitch has always been able to carve his own way,” said Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.), a top ally of the new leader. “I don’t know which direction he’ll go, but he’ll be working with the conference.”
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